Loading apparatus



May 5, 1925.

C. J. SMITH LOADING APPARATUS Filed April 2'7. 192:5v

2 Sheets-Sheet l mgm C JNVENTOR. B%l @aA/@W 7" /K ATTORNEY May 5,v 1925. l 1,536,535

C. J. SMITH LOADING APPARATUS Filed April 27, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 51 24 26 I. l l I'I ml I l l l I INVENTOR. 26 49 BY%\ ,a M

Patented Ivey tl, 1925.

NUNIE Stans rioaniisie- .arranafrns Application filed April 27, 1923. Serial No. 635,001.

To all. whom t may] con/cern.:

.Be it ltnown that l, CLYDn J. Siiririr., a

`citizen of the United States, residing at Uniontown, in the county of Fayette and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Loading Apparatus, of which the following is a specilication. Y

4My invention relates broadly to loading apparatus, but more particularly to appa-V ratus for transferring material, such, for eX- ample, as coal, from a loose broken mass or pile to a selected place of deposit, such as a car, for example. i

It is the object o f this invention to provide an apparatus that will work its way beneath a loose mass or pile of coal or other material andcarry away the same as the apparatus advances. Another obJect 1s to facilitate the advance of the apparatus byV agitating the material close to the most advanced portion of the particular element which is pushedinto or beneath the said material. f y y Y Referring tothe acconnaanyin;` drawing, Fig. 1 is a. front view of an apparatus einbodying my invention; Fig. 2,anenlarged plan view of Fig. 1, the casing` being omitted and parts being broken away; Fig. 3, a detail plan of the agitator-bar operating connections; Fig. Ll, an enlarged front view of my invention, the casing beingl omitted and parts being' broken away; and Fig'. 5, a cross-section on the line VV of llig. 2; Fig'. (lis a section of a detail, and Figi'. 7 is a fragmentary View showing; in Vplan view a portion of a modification of my invention.

On the drawiini', l designates the frame which supports the various movable parts of my loading appaatus. 2 is the main driveshaft rotated by any suitable means. The

shaft 2 carries the worm 3 and the sinfoelretwheel 4.. The worm 3 drives the wormwheel 5 on the shaft G, which carries the pinion 7 meshing,` with the spur-gear 8 on the Vshaft 9. The latter carries the pinion 10 which meshes with the internal gearteeth 11 on the drum 12 turning on the stubshaft 13 projecting from the frame 1. The drum 12 is vprovided 'with the rope 111 which passes over the sheave 15 attached to the frame 1 and has its outer end connected to a suitable anchor 16, y

rlhe frame 1 has the extension bar 1S which, though it might be pivotally connected to the frame, is shown rigid therewith. rThis bar has its forward edge beveled upwardly and rearwardly and provided withV the teeth 19. Back `of the teeth 19 the bar has the longitudinal groove 20 in which the agitator-bar 21 reciprocates, the upper face of the latter havingl a longitudinal groove 22 in which the rib 23 on thelower face of the cap-plate 2-1 rests, the latter being` secured to the bar 18 by the rivets or bolts 25. The agitator-bar 21 has on its forward edge the teeth 2 6 beveled upwardly and rearwardly and having their forward points about on the rear ends of the teeth 19, the inclines of the teeth 19 and 2G being shown on Fig. Ll`

as being in the same plane. i 27 is a vertical shaft between the shaft 2 and the agitator-bar 21. It carries the slirocket-wheel 28 connected to the sprocketwheel d by the sprocket-chain 29. The shaft 27 carries the eccentric 30 which drives the pitman 31 connected to the agitator-bar 21. it the rear side of the apparatus I secure the endless carrier 32, running` parallel with the bar 18 and the rear of the main part of the apparatus. lt runs horizontally along' `the back of the bar 18 with its upper inember at about theY level of the upper surface of the bar. At about the junction of the bar with the main portion of the frame 1 the carrier rises so that it may have its delivery end l'arranged over the car 34. The carrier is operated by the sprocket-wheels on the shaft 36 having the bevel-gear 37 meshing with the bevel-gear 38 on the shaft 27.

lWhen the drive shaft 2 is driven by a suitable motor (not shown), it causes the agitator-1mi' 2l to reciprocate and the drum 12 to rotate. The latter causes the rope 14; to be wound thereon and the entire apparatus to be drawn transversely of the bar 18. lf a mass'of broken coal is in front of the bar 18, the latter will be drawn under or into it, the agitator-bar 21 operating to lift and agitate the coal so as to facilitate the advance of the apparatus. As the apparatus advances, the coal reaches the endless carrier 32 and is carried thereby to the car 3/1- or other place of deposit. v

l do not confine this invention, except as specifically claimed, to the means shown for moving the apparatus and the agitator-bar during` the loadingoperation, as various other means than those shown may he readily devised. The loading apparatus is particularly useful to load coal that has been broken or shot in mines by an explosive, but it may lll() obviously be used for other purposes. I have not. shown the apparatus with a motor and its controlling means nor have I shown various other control means, as clutches, as these are all well known in coal-mining` machinery having some lunctions similar to some of those exercised in my invention.

ln the modification of my invention as shown in Fig. 7, l provide a second agitating` mechanism placed opposite the end of' the carrier 132 and at right angles to the agitatingl' mechanism already described. This second mechanism comprises the rigid eX- tensien har or shoe 18a arranged at right angles to the bar or shoe 18 and at the outer end there-of and opposite the end ot the carrier 0.2. The shoe 18a has its outer edge provided with the beveled' teeth 19 like the teeth 19. Back of the teeth 19 the bar 19" carries the agitator bar 21"L which reciprocates on the shee 1S and is connected thereto in 'the same manner as the bar 21 is connected to the shoe 18 and has the beveled teeth 26. It has the rib 23 and the capplate Q-l Correspending` to the rib 23 and is a bell-crankM lever carried by the pivot-pin 39 secured to the bar 1S. @ne arm ot the lever.l 3S is pivoted on the pin 40 on the agitator bar 21 andthe other arm is pivoted on the pin 411 on the agitator bar 21a. so that when the bar 9.1' reciprocates-the bar 211L also reciprocates.

By means of the drum 12 andthe wire ropes 14- 14@ running', over the sheaves 15 and 15, the machine may, when the ropes are anchored suitably, cause the machine to move bodily in any selected direction. By moving the machine iu one direction the bar 19 may be advanced at`right angles to its length into a mass o'l broken coal and by moving it in another direction the bar 1.9 may be similarly advanced. Thus, one bar may advance a certain distance and then the machine may advance in a direction at right angles to its former direction, and while advancing` in each direction, coal is being` delivered to the carrier. The means for advancing the machine may comprise more drums, ropes and sheaves th an those shown7 as those acquainted with mining; machinery know.

claim- 1. ln a loading machine, a movable traine carrying a shoe arranged to move beneath a mass ot lense material, a beveled toothed material agitatine` and lifting,` device slidable on the shoe at right angles to the movement of the latter, means to reciprocate said device and a carrier to receive the material under which the shoe and agitator' have moved. l

2. ln a loading machine, a movable 'frame carrying` a shoe arranged to move beneath a mass of loose material, a beveled toothed agitator slidable on the shoe at right angles to the movement of the latter, a second shoel carried by the frame and arranged at an angle to the irst bar, an agitator movable on the second shoe, and means for moving` the iframe at right angles to each shoe.

In testimony whereol hereunto alix my signature this 7th day of April, 1923.

CLYDE J. SMITH. 

